iGo Home
by seddie4thewin
Summary: Just a short four or five chapter story that finds Sam going back to Seattle where she reconnects with Freddie who's come home on break from college. Seddie fluffiness!
1. Chapter 1

**No heavy drama or angst here, just a story about Sam and Freddie getting back together. Marissa Benson is waaaay OOC in this story, but let's just figure she either got on some good meds or she has mellowed after Freddie left for college and she's had some 'alone' time to reflect on life. I like to write her as crazy as Dan does, but for this purpose, it just makes better sense for her to be a little more normal (ie - not putting a chip in her kid's head so she can track him).**

Setting the scene: It was late morning and Sam Puckett was on her motorcycle heading toward Washington. She had left her Venice apartment the day before and spent the night dozing in a bus station outside of Sacramento. The California/Oregon border was already an hour behind her and she figured that with any luck she'd be in Seattle by nightfall.

 _Flashback: two weeks ago._

 _"I'm gonna miss you, Sam." Cat whimpered, fighting back tears._

 _"Awww, I'll miss you, too kiddo." Sam allowed Cat one nice long hug._

 _"You can still come with me, you know. I can just wait and leave in the morning. It'll give you time to pack and get ready."_

 _The blonde shook her head. "Being an actress is your dream, Cat, not mine. There's nothing in New York for me."_

 _After a year of college, Cat had been offered a chance to audition for a Broadway musical and she jumped at the opportunity. She and Sam shut down their babysitting business a couple of weeks ago and Cat spent the last week trying to convince her blonde friend to go with her. Sam had already made up her mind that it was time for a change in her life, but New York was simply not her cup of tea._

 _"But where will you go, what'll happen to you?" Cat worried._

 _"Meh, the rent's paid till the end of the month. I'll just hang here and figure something out. Hey, when you're in New York, don't forget to look up Melanie. I know she'd love to see you."_

 _Cat sniffed. "I will, Sam. And I'll give her a big hug from you." Tears streamed down the red head's face as she hugged her friend tightly again. "You're the best friend ever."_

 _Sam didn't resist the younger girl's affection. "We had a good run, kid. Now you better get going, your taxi's gonna soon be here to take you to the airport."_

 _The blonde spent the next two weeks lounging around their half-empty apartment deciding on what to do with her life. There was literally nothing or no one left in L.A. for her-Cat was the last one. All her other friends had left over the years, Jade and Tori ran off on some 'see the world' tour several months ago after coming out as a couple. Goomer and Dice were on the road with the MMA, where the big guy had just won his tenth fight in a row and was gunning for a title shot. Even Nona had found herself a boyfriend and the elderly couple spent most of their time driving around the country in his R.V._

 _Besides, life was expensive in California. Sam knew she'd never be able to afford rent on a decent place on her own. After much deliberation, she decided to head back home to Seattle. She could always take some community college classes and maybe get a half decent job. Surely, she could put up with her mother long enough to get on her feet. Truth was, she kind of missed her mom's antics, at least by times. And she missed her old friends, there was her best friend Carly, busy-body Wendy, goofy Spencer, weird Gibby and, of course, her sweet dork Freddie. Unfortunately for her the majority of them had moved on to colleges and careers of their own and were no longer in Seattle._

 _End flashback._

It had been dark for a short while when Sam entered the outskirts of the city of Seattle. Suddenly, the rain started. "Typical Seattle weather." She grumbled to herself.

Despite it being early June, the rain was chilly, much more so than in Southern California, and she was totally soaked before she could get her rain poncho out of her bag and put it on. Half an hour later, the blonde pulled into her mother's driveway, just as the rain slowed slightly. Unfortunately for her, the house was dark and there was no sign of life. The nearby street light showed the foot long grass and unkempt shrubbery. Some things would never change.

In the driveway, sat a familiar sight: her mother's crappy old Toyota with the mis-matched paint, but it obviously hadn't moved in a while. A closer look revealed a license plate nearly a year out of date, two flat tires and a huge crack in the windshield. A black, plastic garbage bag was taped over the passenger-side window and the trunk lid was held shut with a bungee cord. It was just like she remembered it.

After several minutes of pounding on the door and getting no response, Sam was left with one option. A few short strokes with a bobby pin and she was at least out of the elements. No response came from calling her mother's name. Nothing happened when she flipped the light switch, either.

"Good job, mom. You didn't pay the electric bill again." Sam said to no one. "Oh, well, at least I'm dry." After finding a flashlight, she made her way to her old room. There she changed clothes and found a towel in the bathroom to partially dry her hair.

She pulled out her phone and used the last of its power to call her goody two-shoes sister to see if she had any clue as to what became of their poor excuse for a mother. "Hey Mels."

"Sammy!" Mel exclaimed, as peppy as ever from the other end. "I'm so glad you called, you'll never guess who I had coffee with today. Give up yet? Cat. She's here in New York and she looked me up. Girl's got a grip too, she hugs like a boa constrictor. We've been hanging out for the last week or so."

"Heh, I figured she'd find you as soon as she got to New York."

"She's so much fun, I can tell her and I are going to be the best of friends, too. So are you still in L.A.?"

"Nah. I decided to go back to Seattle. Speaking of which, have you heard from our wonderful mother lately? The house looks like its been abandoned."

"Last I heard from her, she was leaving for Vegas with some guy she met playing bingo. But that was over a month ago. It sounded like she was living with him before that, too. Walter, Willie, Wendall or something like that. Oh well, you know her, she'll surface sooner or later."

"Yeah." Sam responded with a shiver. Obviously, Pam didn't pay the gas bill, either. Even though it was June, it was damp and chilly in the house from the rain storm.

After a short chat with her sister, Sam left the house in search of food and warmth. She pulled into the parking lot of Bushwell and ducked into the lobby to escape another downpour that started to drench her as soon as she crawled off the motorcycle. She figured on stopping by to visit Spencer and maybe bum a night or two on his sofa until she could either get in touch with her mom or make other arrangements.

"Stop messing up the floor! I just mopped!" Lewbert shouted at her. "God, I'm so glad I'm leaving this job soon. I won't have to deal with you messy people ever again."

"Stuff a sock in it, Wart-bert!" She shouted back and entered the elevator.

Sam sighed as the doors opened on the familiar eighth floor. She approached Spencer's door and knocked. No response. That wasn't unusual for Spencer, she thought. He probably just had his ear buds in while working on an art project or he may have been sleeping. He never did keep normal hours. She knocked harder and called to him, hoping he'd hear her.

"Spencer doesn't live here anymore. The door man should have told you." She heard a female voice behind her. "I never thought he was so much of a ladies' man, but you're the third girl that's been looking for him this week."

Sam spun around to come face to face with none other than Marissa Benson.

"S-Samantha?" The nurse was shocked to see the girl her son always talked about. Literally, always, like very time they spoke. Non-stop. "What a surprise!"

"Hey, Cra, er, um Marissa. How's it going?" Sam hadn't actually spoken to Marissa since she had to call her and tell her Freddie had been injured in L.A. She called because he couldn't talk at first with his face all bandaged up. That was not one of the more pleasant phone calls she had ever made.

Before Sam knew what was happening, she was embraced by the middle-aged woman. "You look well, dear. How have you been? Freddie's always talking about you."

"Um, good. I, er, just got back to town. Listen, about what happened when Freddie came to L.A., I, uh, I am so sorry for him getting hurt. It was totally my fault and I still feel terrible about the whole mess. I should never have left him with my room mate's friend. That boy's a walking disaster area. Makes Gibby look almost normal."

"It's all water over the dam, dear. Don't worry about it. Besides, he told me what good care you took of him and he's always saying how much he enjoyed that visit. I'll tell you, if he hadn't already been accepted to MIT, I just know he would have chosen Cal-Tech. Won't you come in? You're drenched, you poor girl."

Sam couldn't believe how civil this woman was treating her, but she entered the Benson apartment and began to take off her shoes. She knew Marissa's rules about wearing shoes in the house. "So, um, what became of Spencer? You said he doesn't live across the hall any more."

"I'm surprised his sister didn't tell you. He got engaged a few months ago and left for Chicago with this wonderful girl he met named Christine. She was some kind of art critic or art instructor or something like that. They made such a nice couple."

"Actually, it's been a while since I talked to Carly. You know with the time difference and all, it's hard for me to get with her and not have one of us calling at a weird time. Plus she's usually all hung up on some Italian guy she met at school."

"Excuse me for a minute." Marissa went to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with two cups of hot tea. "Here, this should help. You'd better warm up or you'll be sick. Have you had your flu shot this year?"

"Um, Thanks." Sam took a sip of the tea and sat down on the edge of the plastic-covered sofa. "This is pretty good."

"It's ginsing, good for almost everything." Marissa nodded and attempted small talk. "How's your mother? Have you seen her yet?"

"Alright, I guess. According to my sister, she's in Vegas with some guy again. I haven't really talked to her since around the holidays. I sort of figured on dropping in to see her, but she was gone when I got there. So much for that idea. Even the power and gas are off, I guess she didn't pay the bills again."

Both looked awkward for a few minutes before Marissa finally brought up the 2 ton elephant in the room. "Do you have any place to stay, Samantha?"

"Uh, no. Not really. I'll just crash at the bus station or something, maybe try the Y tomorrow. You know, till I can find a job and get a cheap place. There's gotta be someone who needs a room mate that I can maybe split a flat with."

"You're welcome to stay here." Marissa immediately offered.

Sam nearly choked on her tea at the suggestion. "Oh, I - I couldn't." Sam knew how awkward this would be - staying with her ex-boyfriend's mother, who typically hated the very thought of her. Come to think of it, why the chiz was Marissa being so nice to her in the first place. Maybe Freddie leaving for college finally sent her off the deep end altogether.

"Nonsense. I insist. Since Terrance moved out, I have an extra room and you're welcome to it, for as long as you like. You just need to promise to clean up after yourself and not wear shoes in the house. It'll be so nice having someone else around for a change. Especially a young lady. We can have some wonderful girl-time. Just the two of us. I've been wanting to take a low-calorie baking class but there's no one to go with and it'll be so boring to go alone."

"Um, yeah, that would be, uh, nice. But are you sure? I wouldn't want to be any trouble." This might not be so bad she thought to herself. Free place to live.

"No trouble at all, dear. Now, I'll show you to your room but I'm afraid I'll have to leave soon, I must start getting ready for work or I'll be late."

Marissa took Sam back the hall and opened the door to her guest room. The bed was made and covered in a clear, plastic drop cloth. Plastic sheets were draped over every surface in the room, too. "Now feel free to make yourself at home. And there are leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry. I really have to get going but I'll be home at eight-thirty in the morning and my cell number is on the white board in the kitchen along with all the other emergency numbers if you need anything."

"Uh, thanks." Sam replied. "Say, you mind if I grab a shower? You know, to help get warmed up a little."

"Help yourself, Samantha. But you'll have to use the shower in Freddie's room. I didn't get the other bathroom disinfected this afternoon like I planned. I was on the phone with my sister for over an hour." Good to know she was at least still crazy-clean. "Her husband just had bunion surgery and she's worried about him."

After Marissa left her alone in the guest room, Sam peeled off her wet clothes and draped them over an empty laundry basket to dry. She had picked up some clean, dry things from her mother's house, but soon realized she forgot to pick out anything to sleep in. Oh, well, wouldn't be the first time she slept in her undies. Marissa did say to make herself at home, after all.

She heard the main apartment door closing when Marissa left a few moments later. Sam slipped across the hall wearing nothing but a smile, reached the door to Freddie's room and slowly turned the doorknob. She hadn't been in this room in a long time. She felt around for the light switch and flipped it on. His room could not have been any more of a perfect shrine to him. His computer was all set up on his desk, complete with a clear dust cover. Shelving on the wall held all his Galaxy Wars figurines, neatly arranged and dusted.

There were several pictures of Freddie as well as a few of him and his two best friends here and there. She glanced at them and smiled at the shot of the two of them together when they went to the junior prom. The bed, along with all the other furnishings were covered in clear plastic, like in the other room and she slid her hand across it, remembering the heated make out sessions she shared with Freddie there years ago when they were dating in high school.

* * *

Marissa smiled to herself as she drove to work. She knew how much Sam meant to her son and how he talked about nothing but the blonde non-stop. He even had mentioned the idea of taking a trip to L.A. to visit her over his summer break from college. Obviously, that wouldn't be necessary any longer. She figured on calling him as soon as she had the chance to tell him about Sam's visit, but that would have to wait until her break time. For now, she had to get to work and sign in before she was less than an hour early, which she considered being late.

 **Next time: A surprise Seddie reunion.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the positive comments from the first chapter and to those who put the story on their favorite and follow lists.**

Chapter 2

Freddie had just left Seattle-Tacoma airport in a taxi, heading for home. He had wrapped up the last of his finals over a week earlier and, even though he planned on coming home next week, he decided to catch an earlier flight when he had the chance to surprise his mother. He knew she missed him and would be ecstatic to see him home early. Besides, if he kept her happy, it would increase the odds of her not freaking out if he went to visit Sam later on in the summer. He'd hoped to arrive before his mom left for work, but the plane's landing was delayed due to bad weather and combined with Marissa's habit of being an hour early for everything virtually ensured he'd miss her.

Freddie had tried to call Sam a couple of times the past few days to see if she had made up her mind about what she was going to do but her phone always went straight to voice mail. Unknown to him, her phone battery was all but dead and she kept it off most of the time, especially when she was driving.

He was completely unaware that Sam was back in Seattle. The last time they talked, she didn't disclose that she was returning home and planned on being there to surprise him when he came home for summer vacation on the sixth as he had planned. Freddie, on the other hand, was hoping that he could convince her to return home, if nothing else at least for a few weeks so they could reconnect. If not, he was going to L.A. to visit her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sam was in Freddie's bathroom with the hot water flowing over her curvaceous body. She borrowed a little of the cinnamon-vanilla scented shampoo from the cabinet that made his hair smell like a bakery and had just finished rinsing her long, golden locks. She stood there absorbing as much of the steam as possible and enjoying the heat on her flesh. For the first time in nearly a day, she was finally getting warm. She stepped out of the shower almost twenty minutes later and dried herself with one of the fluffy towels hanging on the shower bar, after unwrapping the anti-microbial cover that was on it, of course.

After wrapping another towel around her head, she took the biggest one she could find and encircled her body with it. Sam's round breasts and buttocks filled the towel and left little extra material to spare. The bottom of the cloth barely covered her intimate areas as she stood in the bathroom and rubbed lotion on her freshly shaved legs. It was his after-shave and it's scent made her wish she was nuzzling her face into his neck and breathing in the aroma.

Between the drone of the exhaust fan removing the steam from the room and her own humming of a tune she had heard recently, she didn't hear the apartment door open and a young man's voice calling to his mother.

"Mom?" Freddie called as soon as he walked through the door. It was odd if the lights were on and she wasn't home. He was aware T-Bo had moved out, so he wondered why the place was all lit up, it certainly wasn't like his mother to waste electricity. He called again. "Mom." He said walked toward the kitchen to see if she missed hearing him the first time.

The young man resigned himself to the thought that his mother had already left for work and decided to take his bag back to his bedroom and change into something more comfortable for night time before calling her on her cell phone.

As he made his way back the hall, he noticed the door to the guest room was open, but he didn't bother to look inside. His bedroom door was open, too. That was extremely strange, Marissa insisted on keeping all the doors closed to keep dust spores from circulating. Then he noticed a small amount of light coming from his bedroom, like the bathroom light was on and it sounded like the fan was running, too. 'What the chiz, Mom?' He thought to himself. He pulled out his phone to call his mother to make sure everything was alright. As he walked through the door of his room, looking down at his phone, he ran smack into another person, sending them both to the floor, landing on their bottoms, and his phone tumbling out of his hands.

The girl left out a slight 'eep' at the contact as she stumbled backward, obviously she wasn't expecting to see anyone else in the apartment, much less ram into them.

"What the. . . S - Sam?" He sat up at stared at the nearly naked girl. "What are you doing here? An-and why are you . . . ?"

"Freddie! Holy crap!" Sam gasped, too surprised at his presence to realize she was barely covered with a towel and if he looked carefully, he could likely get quite a show. "You scared the chiz out of me. Why aren't you in Boston?"

Freddie scrambled to his feet, too aghast to speak and it wasn't until he quickly looked away to avoid embarrassing her that she finally realized her predicament.

"Oh my God." She jumped to her feet and turned her back to make sure her 'twins' were fully covered. "When did you get home? Last time we talked, you said you weren't leaving MIT until next Tuesday."

"Um, I - j - just now." He stammered, trying to slyly sneak a peek. "I thought I'd come home a little early and surprise my mom."

"She, uh, left for work almost an hour ago. You missed her. Sorry." Sam replied, uncharacteristically embarrassed at her situation. "You can turn around now."

"So, um, can I, ah, maybe ask why you're in my bedroom wearing nothing but a towel. Not that, I m - mind or anything." Freddie stuttered, still unsure if he was hallucinating.

"Oh. Yeah. Well, I - you see I got back to town this afternoon and my mom's run off with some guy and didn't pay the power bill or anything and Spencer's gone, so your mom was really nice and she offered me the guest room. It's just for a day or two, Freddie. Just till I get on my feet and find a place of my own. I hope that's not weird for you."

"No, um, no, not at all. It- it's OK. I don't mind. I mean, I really don't mind. So, I guess you decided to come back home for a visit after all, huh? I'm glad. I - I mean I'm really glad to see you."

"Actually, I'm here for good. Life's expensive in L.A. and I sort of thought maybe I'd try taking a few classes, maybe get a decent job or something. I kinda missed Seattle, as much as I hate to admit it." Sam carried on the conversation until she suddenly realized that she was standing in _his_ bedroom with nothing between his eyes and her bare flesh than a bath towel. "Hey, do you mind if I, like, go and get dressed, maybe we can hang out then?"

"Yeah, uh, right." Freddie stepped aside and let Sam go across the hall. "Sorry." He flopped his bag onto the floor beside his desk and sat down on the end of the bed to think about the situation he found himself in. His ex-girlfriend, that he secretly was completely hung up on since the last time he saw her when he visited L.A., was staying in his apartment, apparently at the invitation of his mother. The big kick was, that had he been ten minutes earlier, he would have walked in on her in the shower. 'Stupid plane being late.' He thought to himself.

In the guest room, Sam was too preoccupied with the idea of Freddie's presence to even think that she could have easily been caught by him in the shower. She, too, had been thinking about him non-stop since his trip to California and wishing there was a way for them to rekindle their relationship. They sent texts every day and called or skyped at least once a week ever since he was there, but neither of them made any attempt at committing to the other. Suddenly she remembered she didn't bring any night clothes. She surely didn't want to sleep in a pair of jeans and hanging out in her underwear was no longer an option since Freddie was there. "Hey, Freducchini?"

Freddie rolled his eyes, already the nicknames had begun. "Yeah, Sam." He called back across the hall.

"Could I maybe borrow I pair of sweats or something? I didn't bring anything to sleep in."

"Sure, swee, er, Sam. Give me a minute." Freddie quickly dug into a drawer and pulled out a pair of dark blue sweat pants and reached into his bag for the light grey MIT t-shirt he usually slept in. "Here you go", he said after making his way across the hall and handing her the clothing. "Sorry, I know the pants are gonna be way too long for you."

"Thanks, Frednub." Sam responded. She had already taken the towel off her hair and was brushing her curls out as he just stood in the doorway watching her. "So, um, are you gonna be all pervy and watch me get dressed or do you want to give me a minute." She smirked at him.

Freddie turned bright red. "Oh, um, yeah. Sure. Sorry." He retreated to his room and proceeded to change his own clothes. Not two full minutes later, he has standing in front of his dresser, bare from the waist up, preparing to change into some sweat pants himself. He had opened his belt and just slid the pants down past his knees when Sam reappeared, bounding into him room, big as life.

"So, how do I look?" She barged into the room modeling the outfit he had lent her. "The shirt's long enough, but it's a bit tight, though. You know, over the . . . " Sam held her hands up to cup her chest.

"SAA-AAAM!" Freddie tried to pull his trousers back up, but ended up losing his balance and stumbling around like a drunken monkey. "'I'm almost naked here. Gheesh!"

"Ohmigod. Sorry! Sorry! I didn't realize you'd be changing, or I wouldn't have . . . "

By now Freddie had righted himself and decided to just go with the flow and finish changing. "I guess it's OK, Sam. Not like you haven't seen me in my boxers before."

"Heh. Yeah, I guess you're right." She replied, her back now turned to him while he finished dressing. "Plus you did see me in nothing but a towel five minutes ago, so it's sort of fair."

"Alright. I have pants on. You can turn around now." Freddie was now busy trying to pick out a shirt from his open dresser drawer.

Sam turned around in time to witness his bare back. From the looks of his shoulders and the quick glimpse of his front she had seen before, not only was he less nerdy, but the young man had been to the gym a lot lately.

"Have you been working out? I don't remember you being so muscle-y before." She asked.

"Y-yeah. I actually joined a gym in senior year. It was Gibby's idea, he thought we could meet girls that way. Not really one of his better schemes, but I didn't have much else to do. There's a work out room at my dorm, too. I go when I have time. I don't really know why it's there, the majority of the guys don't ever do anything but stare at computer screens or video games or their phones constantly."

"Well, for what it's worth you look pretty good there, Fredwad." Sam was obviously impressed at what she saw. She immediately regretted sounding so girly, that was something Carly or Mel would say to flirt with a guy.

"Thanks. So do you. Man, I can't believe the rough, tough, demon that used to give all the nerds wedgies in middle school got so, uh, how can I say this and not get a wedgie myself, um, hot." He suddenly seemed to be having a lot of trouble keeping his eyes focused above Sam's shoulders, this girl had definitely filled out.

Subconsciously, the two had been moving closer together and were now barely a foot apart. The tension mounted and both were wishing for contact but neither was making an aggressive move toward the other when his phone rang, breaking both of their concentration and causing them to jump apart.

Freddie quickly picked up his phone from the dresser behind him. "Hello."

"Freddiebear. It's Mommy." Freddie rolled his eyes at her timing as well as her pet name for him.

"Hello, Mom. How are you today?" Freddie took a few steps back and sat on the foot end of his bed.

"I'm wonderful, darling. I wanted to call and let you know that I have a surprise for you when you come home." Marissa knew how excited he would be to see Sam again. "I have a house guest."

"Uh, yeah. I, um sorta figured that out already." He smirked at Sam as she plopped down beside him.

"I don't understand." Marissa wasn't sure how he could possibly know about Sam's presence. She knew how excited he would be to see Sam again and if this girl was so important to him and made him happy then she would do anything she could for her.

"I caught an earlier flight, Mom. I got home about an hour ago. I wanted to surprise you, but you had already left for work." Sam laughed to herself at the memory of their reintroduction. "I almost had a heart attack and it's a wonder I didn't get my butt kicked for scaring Sam. But everything's alright now."

"Oh, Freddie. I'm so sorry I missed you. If I knew you were coming today, I would have taken a personal day."

"Really, it's OK, Mom. I'm kind of tired and jet-lagged anyhow. We can do some stuff together tomorrow and get caught up. I'll just hang out here with Sam tonight."

"Well, I suppose you should have some time to get caught up with Samantha, too. Now before I forget, there's tofu casserole in the fridge, your favorite."

He shuttered at the thought. "Um, yeah. Sure." The young man tried not to let his mind wander too far into exactly how much 'catching up' he really wanted to do with a girl he had been longing after for almost two years.

Soon, Marissa was paged for an emergency and Freddie said good-bye. He hung up and turned to Sam, who was still beside him. He remembered the tofu casserole. "So, you maybe wanna order a pizza or something? I haven't had anything except airline food since early this morning."

"Sounds like a plan, Fredwardo. Don't forget to order an extra bucket of hot wings, though. Momma's starving, too. Your mom told me there were leftovers in the fridge, so maybe we can hit them while we're waiting for the delivery guy."

"I think you'd better see what it is before you commit to eating it." He shivered, familiar with his mother's cooking.

"Hey, I'm starving, I'll eat dang near anything at this point except a road killed skunk, let's go see what she left."

Freddie just nodded in agreement and the two headed for the kitchen after placing their food order with his phone. Soon they determined that Marissa's concoction was actually somewhat edible, so they warmed up a bit on two plates and made their way to the sofa to wait for the pizza in front of the TV. Sam noticed two brown eyes watching her subtly as she flipped channels looking for something to watch.

"Like what you're seeing there, Fredweird?" Sam smirked after swallowing a mouthful of Marissa's tofu concoction. "You know this stuff isn't really all that bad, I mean, for tofu that is. It actually has, well I can't really say flavor but it has something."

"Uh, maybe you're just too hungry to care, but yeah. I, I, guess it's not too bad." He replied nervously. "I figure I should thank you for not kicking my butt when I scared you a while ago."

"Darn right you should. Man, I must be getting soft. You know, three years ago, I would have had your arm dislocated before you hit the ground."

"Well, that and I - I just haven't seen you in a while. I really missed you, Sam. The last time I saw you was when I was in L.A. two years ago. But I've thought about you a lot. Not like, obsessively or anything but . . . I mean, I - I just . . . life isn't the same without Sam Puckett in it."

"God, but you're still a nub." She playfully punched him in the shoulder. His flesh wasn't doughy like it was in junior-high, that was for sure. "But you know, I missed you too." She said very quietly.

"What was that now?" He heard her clearly, but was just being playful.

Sam turned to give him some kind of smart answer, but before any words could form, his lips softly connected with hers. He had been dying to do this since their last kiss, the day he left California. At first, the blonde didn't know what to do, it had been over two years since she kissed anyone, and that was Freddie, so she just went with the flow and enjoyed the sparks she felt.

Freddie sensed her hesitation and began to pull back before feeling her right hand lightly touch the back of his neck to pull him closer. This time, she initiated the kiss and there was no stopping her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sam and Freddie were on the sofa, kissing. Their first kiss since he visited her in L.A. almost 2 years before. The kissing soon began to heat up and Freddie's tongue traced her upper lip. Sam responded by hungrily letting him in and she began to massage the organ with her own tongue and lips. Things were on the verge of getting out of control when the doorbell rang.

"Unngh!" they moaned in unison, realizing they had to stop if they wanted to get their food. Freddie immediately felt guilty, like he was taking advantage of Sam. Sure she kissed back, but they weren't a couple any more. Heated make out sessions would not be the best idea unless she really wanted to get back together as bad as he did. Oh, man, this would be super weird if she just wanted to be 'friends'. Especially with her staying in his mother's apartment.

After paying the delivery man and turning around, Freddie found Sam right behind him looking unsure of what just happened as well. "You alright Freddie?" She asked as she took the wing containers from his hands. The last thing she wanted to do was freak him out and it was apparent she had done just that.

"Uh, yeah, if - if you are." He sounded nervous and placed the pizza box on the coffee table. "Listen, Sam. I don't know why I did that. I mean, I know why I did it, because I really wanted to kiss you. But I don't want to rush things between us. Heck, this morning I was still trying to think of how to talk you into coming to Seattle this summer for a simple visit. Now here we are and my tongue is in your mouth."

"Freddie, I wouldn't have kissed you if I really didn't want to. You wanna know something, the last time I kissed anyone was the day you left L.A. two years ago. It's not that I never had any offers, and I did go on a couple of dates. I just never felt like kissing anyone else." Sam opened the pizza box, grabbed a slice, and sat down. "I don't know, it just never felt right, you know what I mean?"

"Really?" He squeaked out. "I - I haven't really gotten serious about anyone, either. I hung out with this one girl from my calculus class last year, but she just didn't do anything for me, you know, _that_ way. And last summer when I was home, Gibby tried to set me up with some girl he thought would be perfect for me, but that was a total disaster."

Sam snorted a laugh at the thoughts of Gibby setting anyone up. "Oh, come on, you can't tell me there haven't been a bunch of geeky MIT girls throwing themselves at you? I mean, I've gotta imagine that there aren't too many guys _less_ nerdy that you at MIT. Look at you for cryin' out loud." Sam wasn't about to tell him how hot she really thought he was. She'd never live it down if she did.

"Not really I guess. Besides, what you said about the guys being a bunch of nerds applies to the girls, too. You know I'm not really attracted to those kind of women." Freddie started in on a wing himself. "I have a certain type of girl in case you haven't noticed. Not too girly, definitely not nerdy, kind of rough around the edges, and certainly not some frilly daffodil that wears pink cashmere sweaters and short skirts all the time."

"Hmm. I think I might know a girl like that. If you're interested maybe I can put in a good word for you." Sam smirked, gnawing on a hot wing. "So, horror movie marathon?" She picked up the remote and wiggled it.

"You know it." He grinned back. Soon the two were sitting on the couch, tight up against one another, watching - and making fun of - the cheesy horror movie they had chosen, only occasionally jumping at something on he screen.

After polishing off the food and two movies, and some light kissing in the meantime, both of them were getting drowsy. Neither of them wanted to leave the other alone and it certainly wouldn't have been a good idea to share a bed, especially with his mother due home early in the morning. Freddie stretched back on the sofa, propped his feet up and soon drifted off to sleep. Sam snuggled herself into his side, just like they slept on her sofa when he was in L.A. after he was released from the hospital following the tuna incident.

Neither knew it was the next morning, or perhaps they didn't care, when Mrs. Benson came home right on schedule. The woman was nothing if not punctual. She opened the door to see the two snuggled up on the couch in front of the TV, which was now playing an infomercial for some kind of new blender. The nurse sighed, part of her was upset about them being in such a position, but a bigger part of her was extremely happy for her son. After all, he was twenty years old, she couldn't expect him to act like a monk and he was obviously so head over heels for this girl that he could hardly talk about anything else. More than anything, that was the reason she came to accept Sam as a part of Freddie's, and her, life

Sam was the first to realize they weren't alone and removed herself from the brown haired young man, stirring him. "What's going on, hun?" He asked, barely opening his eyes.

"Hi, Mrs. B." Sam said shyly, stretching her back, trying-but not succeeding-in looking like she didn't spend the night cuddled up next to Freddie. "Uh, Freddie. Wake up, baby - er, dude. Your mom's home."

Freddie stood up, tried to look not quite so guilty of cuddling with a girl on his mom's couch, and hugged his mom.

"Nice to see you, Freddikins. Mommy missed you so much." Sam snickered to herself at how his mother acted like he was a five year old who had just returned from his first day of kindergarten. Deep down inside, a small part of her wished her mom acted a little more like Marissa and less like a drunken groupie chasing men all over the country.

"I missed you too, Mom." He really did miss his mother, even though she treated him like a little kid. "I guess we fell asleep watching TV. I knew I was tired, but . . ."

Before he could say more, Sam interrupted. "So, um, I guess I'd better go get dressed. Ugh, my hair's a mess, too." Sam tried to comb her hair with her hands before going back the hallway. "Be right back to help straighten up the living room, alright."

"I take it you and Sam are getting reacquainted?" His mother asked after the blonde left the room. "Please tell me there's a good reason she's wearing your clothes."

"She, uh, forgot to bring anything to sleep in." He didn't know how to answer the first part of her question but he hoped for it more than anything.

"If you are, I would hope you've thought it through and you're not moving too fast. After all, you haven't seen each other in almost two years and you do have to go back to Boston in the fall. I don't want to see either of you getting hurt or ending with unintended consequences. Now, with that said, do you think your friend would like to go out for breakfast today?"

"I think we'd both like that, Mom. Give me a few minutes to shave and get dressed." He went back the hall just as Sam was coming out of the guest room, dressed and ready to face the day.

She stopped in front of him and stretched up around his neck to give him a quick peck on the lips. "I never did get to give you a proper good morning. Last night was really fun, Freddie."

"Well, good morning to you too, beautiful." He put his arms around her waist. "Mom offered to take us out for breakfast if you're up for it. I'm going to shave and get dressed quick."

"Shoosh, yeah! I'm always in the mood for Flapjack Hut. How about you?" Sam could almost taste the cinnamon rolls. "Man, I haven't had a decent chicken fried steak since I moved to L.A."

Half an hour later, the three were waiting for their breakfast. Sam and Freddie were sitting together and Mrs. Benson was across the table.

"Hey, before I forget, thanks for breakfast Mrs. B." Sam sipped at her coffee. "And for putting me up for a few days. I was thinking I should try to look for some kind of job. I mean, I have a little bit saved up, but if I'm gonna get my own place I'll need some kind of income. I can't bum your guest room forever."

"You're welcome, Sam. You still prefer Sam, right?"

The blonde simply nodded.

"And you are more than welcome to stay as long as you wish. You don't have to rush on our account. Right, Fredward?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, right." Freddie just sat in stunned silence at how his own mother was being so civil to a girl she literally loathed when they were in high school. Add the fact that Sam Puckett just thanked someone for something and he thought he was suddenly dropped into in the twilight zone.

"You know, I think I know something you could check out. Lewbert is leaving the doorman position soon, maybe you should look into that."

"Hmm, that does sound like something I could handle. But the thing is, Lewbert hates me, I'm sure he'd shoot it down right away."

"Well, maybe having a recommendation from the chairperson of the tenants' committee could help."

"Yeah, maybe. So who's this person I should have put in a good word for me?" It couldn't hurt."

"Oh, that's me." Marissa smiled. "I've been president of the committee and safety chairperson at Bushwell for years. I think you'd be perfect for the job. Honestly, they're starting to panic because the only two people who applied so far aren't really the kind of people we'd want having master keys to the whole building if you get my drift."

"Wow, I don't know what to say. Um, thanks. I'll check in on that today."

After their breakfast, the Bensons and Sam went back to their building, where Marissa took a few minutes to stop and talk to Lewbert and help Sam make arrangements for an interview. Lewbert was, of course, against the whole idea, but with Marissa's very strong insistence, Sam had an appointment for an interview with the management company the next day.

"I can't thank you enough, Marissa. How am I ever going to repay you?" Sam smiled at the middle aged woman as they went back to the apartment. "I really owe you now."

"It's the least I can do, Sam. No repayment is necessary. You're important to my Freddiekins so you're important to me." Marissa said. "I almost forgot, I'm going to visit my sister in Portland over the weekend. Maybe I could ask you to do me a favor and make sure my Freddiebear eats properly and gets to bed on time?"

"Um, sure. I can handle that, I was a professional baby sitter, after all." Sam smirked, knowing it would get a rise out of Freddie.

"Mom, I just finished my sophomore year of college, I don't need a baby sitter for Pete's sake." Freddie crossed his arms over his chest, almost in a pout. "I'm twenty, not seven."

"Of course you don't, Fredward." Marissa said in a condescending tone. "Sam will just make sure you're not letting yourself go, that's all. Well, I must get some cleaning finished up in the bathroom. We can't have three people in an apartment with only one sterile bathroom. I'll just leave you two to yourselves."

After his mother left the room, Freddie turned to Sam with hands on his hips. "So, you're going to be my baby sitter, huh?"

She put her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear. "Relax, big boy. I'd have told her we were going to domesticate a sasquatch and cure world hunger after finding out we'll have the apartment all to ourselves for a whole weekend. Remember that weekend Cat went camping with Jade and we had my apartment all to ourselves." She wiggled her eyebrows, referring to the first time they were intimate with each other. "I still do."

"Ahhh, I get it." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and moved his hands to her waist. "So I was sort of thinking we could go for a walk, maybe stop down at the park today, now that the rain has stopped."

"As long as we can stop for smoothies on the way back." She added. "I'm dying to see what T-Bo's poked a stick through these days."

About that time, Marissa reappeared in the living room. "One more thing. I trust you two will spend the night in your own beds while I'm gone."

The two broke their embrace and acted like they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar as they looked her direction.

"I know exactly what you were both thinking and I understand that your hormones are surging, especially after not seeing each other for so long, but I think you'll both agree that you don't want to go too far too fast, right?"

"Sure, Mrs. B." Sam was fast to say, hiding her embarrassment.

Marissa just smiled at her and went back to her chores.

Freddie looked at her with wide eyes and red cheeks. Not only from Sam's response, but from his mother's implication in the first place.

Sam just smirked at him. "Relax, Freducchini, I had my fingers crossed."

Freddie again put his arms around her waist. "I like the way you think, Princess Puckett." The two shared a passionate kiss. "But maybe Mom's right, we don't want to move too fast, do anything we'll both regret if we're not ready."

"I think we'll both know when we're ready, babe." She gave him a sly smile back before whispering, "It won't take long, either."


	4. Chapter 4

**OK, so major Seddie fluffiness ahead.**

Chapter 4

After a nice walk to one of their favorite places and spending some time simply enjoying each other's company and getting caught up on each others lives, the two stopped for smoothies on their way back to Bushwell. T-Bo greeted them with a group hug and introduced them to his wife, who worked with him at the smoothie shop. She was about his age and apparently soon to be a mother. Sam offered to babysit for them if they needed, figuring she could earn herself a few free smoothies. The two sat down at a booth with their smoothies and a large basket of chili, cheese and bacon fries that Sam insisted on.

"You know it's funny, he didn't offer us anything on a stick today." Freddie chuckled.

"Maybe he's changed, too. Man, I still can't get over your mom. Not that it's a bad thing, but I really can't believe she's being so, uh, how can I put this nicely?"

"Normal?" He finished her sentence for her. "I think that's the word you're looking for."

"Yeah. I mean, she's actually being nice to me. I thought she hated the very ground I stand on. Especially after you got hurt when you came to visit me. But she said it was all water under the bridge. She even hugged me when she first saw me, too. I'm serious, I didn't know what to do. I thought she totally flipped her lid."

"As near as I can tell, spending some time all alone really made her think about what's important. You know, she might have just picked up on how I feel about you, too. I might have mentioned your name a few times here and there and told her how you pulled me out of that pool full of dangerous fish and how you took care of me after I got out of the hospital."

Sam just gave Freddie a smirk as he continued. "I'm sure she'll still be disinfecting the entire apartment twice a week and there _were_ plastic covers on the most of the furniture, so that's the same as always." He took a sip of his drink and slyly tried to steal a fry from Sam's basket.

"As long as she skips the tick baths and anti-bacterial underwear, I think we can cut her some slack." Sam slapped at his hand playfully. "Hey! You didn't ask if you could have one." Then she picked up a fry and poked it into his open mouth.

"I missed this, Sam. A lot. So, um, I wanted to ask you something. After last night and all, are-are we like, sorta together? I mean, if, if you want to. . . " Freddie was stammering. "I, I think I'd like to try. Again."

Sam simply leaned across the table and kissed him lightly. "Does that answer your question?"

Freddie licked the ketchup from his lower lip, left behind by hers. "But you know, I have to go back to MIT in two and a half months, right?" He took her one hand in his. "I don't want to lead you on and end up hurting you. But I've only got two more years there. Unless I go for the grad program. And I can always do my grad work closer to home."

"I guess that means we have ten weeks to spend together and when the time comes, we could just do the long-distance thing. It's not like you're never coming back home, right? Besides, like you said, you've only got two more years there. Or I could, I don't know, maybe come along. There's no reason for me to stay in Seattle if you're not here." Her statement made Freddie smile. "It's not like my mom misses me like Marissa misses you. Heck, I think Marissa gave me a better greeting than I would have got at my house."

* * *

By the middle of the next week, Sam had been hired as the new door-person for the Bushwell Plaza and was shadowing Lewbert to be trained how to do the job. Freddie had been looking for something to earn a few dollars himself, but every time he applied for a job, he was told he was over-qualified. His mother convinced him to do some volunteer work just for something to keep him busy, so he decided to head to the local library to see if they needed any help with their computers or anything.

Lewbert had just spent nearly two hours stressing to Sam how important keeping the floor mopped in the lobby was and he was now lecturing on how to clean the glass in the front doors properly when Freddie stuck his head in the office door and told his girlfriend he was off to start his day. Lewbert said nothing, but gave him the dirty looks for interrupting them.

"So, Lewb, tell me about this chick you're marrying." Sam asked after Freddie gave her a quick kiss goodbye and left.

"Uh, well, she's from Olympia. She's a nice girl, maybe a little older than you, she's had some problems in her life, but she's all better now. Her parents just bought a chicken ranch. I'm going out there to help her manage it."

"So how long have you known her?"

"A year or so, actually. We met right here. Funny part is, she came here looking for that Spencer guy that used to live on the eighth floor, she said something about finding him if she couldn't find his sister and a game show wheel. He wasn't home that weekend so I got to talking to her and we kind of hit it off and everything. So what's it to you anyway?"

"Ah, just curious. She sounds like a, uh, interesting girl. I remember someone from Olympia that liked chickens, she was . . . meh, it can't be the same girl. So what kind of benefits does this job come with, anyway?"

"You get health and dental insurance and they pay for the uniform, Oh and I almost forgot, you get a free apartment. Just between you and me, it's not that hard of a job. Actually, I spend a lot more time sleeping or playing games on my computer than I do actually working. That's why I always tried to keep people from tracking up the floor, so I wouldn't have to mop and I could take a nap. ."

"Couldn't you just get a bigger mat for inside the door so people could wipe their feet?"

"I guess you could." Lewbert never thought of that. "OK, that's enough for today. Now, remember, I want to see you in the uniform tomorrow, alright."

"Gotcha, Lewb." Sam shot off a half-hearted salute and grabbed the hanger with her new outfit and headed for the elevator. She was starving and figured she'd see if there was any ham left in the apartment.

She arrived on the eighth floor and opened the door to her temporary home to find Marissa moving furniture and preparing to steam-clean the carpets. "Whatcha doing, Marissa?" She asked.

"Oh, Sam. I didn't expect you back so soon. I'm getting ready to shampoo the floor, I've only cleaned the carpets once this year and I just know there are all kinds of spores in there. I don't want you or Freddie getting sick."

Sam snickered to herself about this woman's paranoia, but decided to play along. After all, she had to meet her half-way. "Maybe I can help and we'll get it done by the time Freddie gets home."

Marissa almost gasped at the idea of Sam helping her do anything other than cook, but she gladly accepted the younger woman's assistance. Mrs. Benson, of course, owned her very own carpet cleaning machine so she didn't have to go out and rent one every three months.

Before long, all the living room furniture had been either moved out into the hall or piled up in the kitchen and the two ladies had the carpets thoroughly cleaned. Sam didn't bust her hump, but she tried to at least appear to help. They were waiting for the rug to dry, sitting at the kitchen table each with a cup of tea when Freddie came home all smiles. He tiptoed across the bare living room floor, into the kitchen, surprised to see Sam. "How are my two favorite ladies?" He grinned.

"We're taking a break while the carpet dries." Sam announced as he kissed her cheek and did the same to his mom. "How was your day, babe?"

"I talked to the director at the library, I'm going to help them with their tech stuff. Nothing too hard, just basic programming. You know they don't even have anyone there who knows how to work a spreadsheet. Annd, they've actually been looking for someone the teach an adult program about computers. Guess who got the job. It's even a paid position. It's only two days a week in the mornings, but it's better than nothing."

"That's great, Freddie. I'm so proud of you." Marissa fussed.

"So what have you two been up to, other than cleaning?"

"Sam was just telling me about the benefits the doorman's; or rather, door person's job comes with. And I was telling her that she really doesn't need the free apartment the job comes with, since she's staying here. I suggested that she should ask about getting paid more in exchange. It's never too soon to start saving for the future."

"And I said I was already taking advantage of you, Marissa. But since she insisted, I thought instead of paying me more, maybe they can just give her a credit for the rent benefit."

"Oh, cool. Hey anyway, so I was thinking, since Sam and I both got jobs, maybe we should all go out for dinner tonight. Kind of a celebration."

"That's so nice to offer, but I have to work a double tonight. I go in at five and I won't be home until almost noon tomorrow." His mother said, sadly. "And then I have to go back to my sister's for a couple of days to help take care of her cats while she has her plantar's warts removed."

"Well, we can just do it another time, then." He suggested before Marissa excused herself to go take care of some laundry.

"Nothing saying the two of us can't go out for dinner, though." Sam put her arm around him and perched herself on his lap. "Mama's in the mood for some ribs. And a nice big baked potato, about the size of a football."

"Ribs and a baked potato it is, my dear." Freddie smiled and kissed her. "Maybe a salad to start?"

"Don't push it, Fredwad. Can't fill up on green stuff when there's ribs around, ya know."

* * *

After their dinner and returning home, The two set about to watching some TV and snuggling on the couch. Since Sam had to go down to work with Lewbert in the morning, Freddie suggested that they turn in early and get some sleep. As much as they both wanted to, neither had broken Marissa's rule about sleeping in each other's bed to this point, though they did share more than a few hours on the couch especially when his mother was away or working night shift.

Sam got up in the middle of the night and went to the kitchen for a drink like she normally did. After downing a bottle of water, she came back the hallway and noticed Freddie's bedroom door was open a crack. He always left it open when his mother wasn't home because she had the heat turned up high in his room to make sure her little boy didn't get cold at night.

Sam pushed it open a bit more and peeked inside. There was just enough light coming from his computer's screen saver for her to see him cuddled up on his bed, shirtless, on top of the covers, gripping a pillow for all he was worth. 'Wish I was that pillow.' The blonde thought to herself. She was about to go back into her own room when an idea hit her. Marissa wouldn't be home until noon, so she figured she might as well try it. If he woke up, she could always tell him she had a nightmare or something and pass it off if he was worried about getting caught.

She pushed the door open further and snuck up to the side of his bed. His breathing was deep and steady, he was clearly sound asleep. She gently touched the hand that was holding the pillow and he didn't move. Slowly, she lifted his arm and put it on his side before taking the pillow and throwing it on the floor. Freddie snored slightly, causing her to stop frozen in place. A minute or so later, she gently sat on the edge of his bed and ever so slyly snuggled her back into him. There was no need for either of them to be under the covers, it was hot in his room.

Sam sighed peacefully, enjoying the closeness of his body. She wiggled herself even closer if that were possible and could feel the heat radiating from his bare chest against her back through the thin shirt she was wearing. She reached back to find his hand and carefully placed it around her waist, wrapping her fingers into his. As Freddie continued to breathe deeply behind her, Sam felt herself drifting off to sleep. "Love you, Freddie." She whispered.

"Mmmm." He left out a faint moan, even though she was positive he was sound asleep.

Daylight broke through the crack in the curtains and Sam felt Freddie begin to stir behind her soon after that. She could also feel a certain part of his body touching her backside which wasn't quite so evident when she laid down. 'Either he's having a good dream or he really likes me laying here.' Sam thought to herself with a smirk.

Slowly she turned onto her back and cocked her head to the side in order to face him. The motion caused Freddie to open his eyes slightly. "Morning, Fredcakes." Sam kissed his nose because nobody likes morning breath.

"Morning, honey buns." Freddie murmured, left his eyes flutter back shut and sub-consciously ran his hand up under her shirt, grazing her bare belly and causing goose bumps to form.

Sam left out a quiet little hiss at the feeling and gently stopped him before he could move his hand any further up her body. Not that she minded the idea of him copping a feel, but she knew she had to get dressed and go down to the lobby before long and didn't want to start anything they didn't have time to finish. Besides, she was getting hungry and there was a pack of bacon in the fridge with her name on it. "Fredddddieeeeee. Wakey-wakey." She teased him quietly, kissing his forehead this time.

Suddenly, Freddie realized what was happening and his eyes shot open. He was not only lying beside Sam, in his bed, but he had somehow thrown his leg over hers and a very prominent part of his anatomy was rubbing against her hip. He pulled back quickly and then realized where his hand was. "Sam. Ohmigod! What are you, I mean, how, oh gheesh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't . . . was I? Oh, God what if my mom saw us? She'd skin us both."

"Relax, dude." It's only seven thirty, we have hours before she comes home. I just wanted some snuggle time and judging by the way you were hugging that pillow, I think you did, too." Sam smirked. "And don't try to tell me you weren't enjoying yourself. I know better." She slyly smirked at him.

"Um, yeah. Uh, you do know I can't really control that when I'm asleep, right?"

"So you didn't like to be all wrapped up in some of this?" Sam raised an eyebrow, pretending to be insulted. "That hurts, Fredlump."

"Oh, yeah." He said back quickly. "I really did. How about you?"

"Mama likey." Was her only response before his lips were on her neck causing a moan to escape her throat.

"I know your mom won't be home for a couple of hours, but I have to go down to work soon, so don't get yourself too riled up."

"How about a rain check?" He suggested. "As soon as my mom leaves for Aunt Jean's."

"Count on it."


	5. Chapter 5

**So here's the final installment of this one. Thanks to all those who took a minute to review and for all the favorites and follows.**

Chapter 5

Throughout the summer, Sam and Freddie spent most of their free time together all summer and were almost inseparable. To say their relationship quickly became intense was an understatement. Of course, Marissa was none the wiser to this situation, or at least she pretended not to be. They tried to keep things PG in front of her, but when they were alone, things definitely got more heated.

The blonde and the nurse had been getting along famously and Freddie was really pleased that his mother and Sam were able to be in the same room and not be at each other's throats. He was hoping to make Sam a permanent part of his life and this would be much more pleasant without his mother's disapproval.

One thing Sam was happy to do was help with her fair share of the cooking. Marissa's tofu-laden, organic, gluten-free, sugarless concoctions were barely edible to Sam but she smiled and told her they were good anyway just to be polite. After all, there was no use in starting a war when she could simply order a pizza or bucket of fried chicken and eat it when she was manning her station down in the lobby. Over time, it became just as easy to simply make the food herself, something that Freddie appreciated very much.

Pam Puckett had returned from her travels and announced that she was marrying the man she spent the summer with, claiming he was her long lost soulmate. Sam wasn't sure but it probably had something to do with the fact that he had made a small fortune by inventing some kind of silly device like they sell on late night info-mercials. Her mother invited Sam to go along with them when they moved to Florida, but Sam simply refused claiming she didn't think she could handle the heat.

On the work front, Sam was settling into her new job and was actually happy with it. The floor mopping and daily glass cleaning were a small price to pay for such a cushy job. Even the occasional trip up to one of the apartments to let an appliance repairman in or help an elderly resident with their groceries wasn't something she minded. Too much. The residents all appreciated having a pretty face in the lobby instead of Lewbert's traditional wart-laden scowl and on occasion she'd even get a nice tip from one of them.

This made her decision much more difficult when the time came for Freddie to start getting ready to go back to MIT for his junior year. Originally, her intent was to go to Boston with him, but now it was not something she counted on so much. Even though having nearly 2000 miles separating her from her boyfriend wasn't something she was looking forward to, she was happy with the way her life in Seattle was going.

The two were sitting on the couch watching one of her favorite shows when Freddie spoke up during a commercial. "So I figured that I'd be coming home for Christmas break, so maybe I could try to talk you into coming to Boston for Thanksgiving. That is, unless I can convince you to come along with me now." This conversation had to happen sooner or later.

"Believe me, I'd love to, but you're still living in a dorm, where would I stay. Plus, I have a decent job here and I was looking at what kind of stuff they offer down at the culinary academy. I think I'd sorta like to try some cooking classes. You know, cooking for you and your mom so much makes me think I might like to do something like that some day. Maybe even open some kind of cafe or something.

"Hey, that sounds like something right up your alley." Freddie tried to feign a smile, but he wasn't happy that he'd be away from Sam for months on end. "You're a pretty good cook already, that would be perfect for you."

She saw the hurt in his eyes. "Now don't get all sad on me, we knew this was coming and I think we can survive without each other for a few months. The time will fly by and we can Skype and do emails and stuff. And there's holidays, if sure we can find some way to get together once in a while. You only have two more years at MIT, we can do that. I love you, Freddie." She took his hands in hers and kissed him sweetly.

"And I love you, Princess." He choked. "I just don't want to be away from you again. Those two years since we last saw each other was too long."

"Well, I don't plan on letting it go over two months this time that's for darn sure. Hey, when's your mom leave for work?" She asked with a sly look.

"In about an hour, I think. Why?"

"Well, I was just thinking, if we're going to be apart for a couple of months, we need to get some lovin' in the bank."

"Hmm, I like the way you think." Freddie responded and kissed her lips. He also began to formulate a plan. If he and Sam were going to be apart for months on end, he wanted to do something to show her how much he loved her and was committed to her.

* * *

The next afternoon, Freddie was helping his mother bring in groceries, a job done much more frequently with Sam Puckett living in their apartment. Sam was, of course, working in the lobby, but did help them carry a few bags in from the car.

After putting things away, Marissa and Freddie sat down in the living room to discuss when he would be leaving to go back to college. She got the dates straight so she could ask for a couple of vacation days from work to see him off.

"Mom, I need to tell you something, but I don't want you freaking out, alright." He said nervously. "This is important to me and I want to let you know up front."

"Oh, Freddie, please tell me Sam isn't, um, expecting." She looked at him with worry. "You have no idea how this is going to effect you."

"Wha, no uh . . . No!" He was shocked that his mother thought the worst right away. "Of course not."

"Now I hope you don't think I'm that naive. I realize you two are sexually active. And I admit I'm a bit disappointed, I was hoping you'd save yourself until after you're married, but I was twenty once, too and I realize how you two feel about each other. I just hope you're being careful, taking precautions."

"No, mom. I mean, yes. I mean, Sam and I have a physical relationship. And we always use protection. Oh, God, I can't believe I just said that in front of my mother." The poor young man was red from embarrassment and buried his head in his hands.

Marissa breathed a sigh of relief.

"Um, b-but what I wanted to tell you was that I, uh, want to get Sam a ring before I leave, bu - but it's not an engagement ring, before you get worried. I want to get her a promise ring. Because I want to promise her that she's the only girl for me and that I promise to some day get her an actual engagement ring."

Marissa stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Freddie began to feel awkward. His mom might have been getting along with Sam, but this was a whole new ball game. Telling her that he was making this kind of commitment to the blonde might be too much for her to process. He worried that this would be the thing to push her off the deep end completely.

"Now Mom, I've been thinking about this for a while now and I really want to do it. I have plenty of money saved up and you aren't going to talk me out of it." Freddie began to sweat, afraid that his mother was on the verge of a complete breakdown. "I know what I'm doing."

Again Marissa was silent. She simply looked at him with a stoic expression. He couldn't tell if she was about to go completely bonkers or what.

"Mom. I've made up my mind about this. Please say something."

Suddenly she snapped out of her trance and hugged him. "I'm so happy for you, Freddiekins. It's about time you made a commitment to that girl. I'm surprised you waited this long. After all, you've been in love with her for years. Now, what do you need me to do?"

"I guess I'd sort of like some help picking out a ring for her. Now I have some pictures of rings saved on my computer that I was looking at yesterday. Let me go get it." He returned a minute or so later and showed her some rings he thought Sam might like.

After they figured out exactly which ring he should get and she told him about her friend who owned a jewelry store not too far from the library where he worked over the summer, one more question came to mind before he could go and buy it.

"Now I want this to be a surprise for her, so I guess what I really need help with is figuring out her ring size. You know, I can't just come out and ask her, she'll know right away what I'm up to. And she doesn't have any other rings for me to compare. Well, except for her dad's wedding band that Pam gave her after he left them. That is, if she hasn't pawned it for fried chicken money somewhere over the years."

As bad as Marissa wanted to just come out and ask Sam her ring size, she knew it would ruin Freddie's surprise, so over her lunch break, she came up with a plan. She would just have to hope that Sam was as sound of a sleeper as Freddie always said she was.

The next morning, Marissa proudly informed Freddie that his girlfriend did indeed wear a size six and a half ring. Thank goodness for her friend in the jewelry business who lent her a ring sizing tool.

"Thanks, Mom. I'll stop at the jewelry store and order it as soon as I leave the library today."

It only took a few days for the ring to be ready and Freddie was prepared to give it to her when they went out to a special dinner Saturday evening.

"I still don't know why you wanted to go out tonight. This is the only day this week your mom's going to be out of the apartment to teach her community class on how to sterilize everything in a home. We could have ordered a pizza and spent the whole evening snuggled up in bed letting the pizza get cold."

"I guess, but I have to leave in just four days and this might be our last chance to have a nice dinner out, just the two of us." Freddie tried to explain as they pulled into the parking lot of Pini's.

"Well, since we're already here I guess I could work up a hunger for some lasagna. And maybe some cheese sticks to go with our soup." Sam started to make herself hungry. "Oh, and I wonder if they have those little, grilled shrimp kabobs with the habernero pepper sauce?"

"That's my girl." Freddie chuckled. "Glad I brought an extra twenty dollars."

As the two settled into their booth and began to look over their menus, Freddie cleared his throat. "You know, this has been the best summer of my life. I've had this really cool job, my mom's been almost normal and I've got the best girlfriend ever."

"Yeah, it's been pretty rad." She replied, looking over the menu. "Here we go. Endless pasta platter. Now this is mama's style. I wonder if I can still get through five bowls like I used to."

Freddie continued the speech he had rehearsed. "And before we know it, I'll be done at MIT and we can have a life like this every day. I'll be back home for good and we can start our lives together."

Things were suddenly getting pretty deep before Sam even figured out what kind of soup she wanted. "What're you saying, Fredbag?"

"I know we've only been together a few months, but when you think about it, we've really been together since that night on the fire escape. Neither of us has had any interest in other people. Sure you moved to L.A. for a little while and maybe we weren't even in the same state for our senior year but you were the only girl I've ever had any desire to be with."

Sam just looked at him with a mixture of surprise and fear. She was pretty sure where this conversation was going but still wasn't positive what the chiz was going on?

Freddie produced a small box and the answer to that question soon became obvious. "An, and, I know this isn't really your type of thing, you know to talk about feelings and all. But I just wanted to tell you that I promise to be faithful to you and if you'll wear this ring, I promise that as soon as I'm done with college and the time is right, there will be another ring in your future. A bigger ring that you can wear forever."

Sam was silent but she began to smile as a tear formed in her left eye.

He had never seen her so silent. "So, I take it your saying yes?" Her eyes glistened as he looked into them.

"Of course I'm saying yes. God, that's a really nice ring. But you didn't have to spend so much money." Sam left him slip the ring on her hand. "Gheesh, and it even fits. How did you know my ring size? I hope you know I'm never gonna take this thing off. Well, except when I have to wash the windows."

He just nodded and she leaned across the table to kiss her. From behind them a group of waiters and waitresses began to applaud. One produced a bottle of champagne and offered them each a glass.

"Thanks, but we're only twenty." Freddie said quietly.

"Well, in that case." The waiter reached for another bottle. "We have this." He pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider.

"Dude, your mom is gonna flip." Sam chuckled.

"Actually she was in on it, she snuck into your room last week and measured your finger."

"So that wasn't a weird dream, then?" Sam looked relieved. "Remember when I told you I had that dream about aliens and they were measuring me to fit me for boxing gloves for some strange reason."

"Yep, and it was all I could do to keep a straight face." He smirked. "If only I could have taped it. It would have been like an episode of 'wake up Sam'."

After their dinner, the two returned home to find a note from Marissa on the refrigerator telling them that she had been called to work at the last minute and they 'would have the apartment all to themselves until noon the next day'.

Freddie just smirked at the timing of his mother's schedule. "I guess we could turn in early and celebrate our pre-engagement."

"I like the way you think, Freddison."

 **OK, so that's it for this story. I didn't want it to go on forever, I just wanted them to get coupled up. I've got one or two short one shots to post soon and I'm working on a longer story for later on in the fall wen my schedule gets less hectic.**


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